内容摘要："[It was] really terrifying," she said. "I thank the universe for letting my ballot paper come out the box."

"[It was] really terrifying," she said. "I thank the universe for letting my ballot paper come out the box."

The 33-year-old says she could not imagine a better candidate to lead the country "in the direction that we need to go".Ms Kepplinger, a resident of Jenison, has thrown her support behind Vice-President Harris. On Friday, the 59-year-old secured enough delegate votes to become Democratic nominee following President Joe Biden’s decision to drop out of the race on 21 July.

But even some Harris fans worry that being a woman could be a significant obstacle between her and the presidency. “For anyone to be doing something that has not been done before, it's difficult,” Ms Kepplinger said. “I don't think that most people are behind a change as drastic as a female leader.”Such a change, however, has proven possible in the key battleground state of Michigan, where three female Democrats now hold the top positions: Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, Democratic Governor Gretchen Whitmer, and Attorney General Dana Nessel. In fact, Michigan has had two female Democratic governors in the past 20 years, Jennifer Granholm and Ms Whitmer.Only around a quarter of senators and state governors in the US are women. The figure for representatives is slightly higher at 29%.

“Women are still underestimated,” said Marcie Paul, the chair of Fems for Dems, an advocacy group for liberal women in Michigan. “It’s going to be no different for her [Ms Harris], I believe, than it was when they said three women on the top of the ticket cannot possibly win in Michigan.”Ms Harris, however, shares some of the traits that made women in Michigan successful candidates, according to Kim Gates, Democratic chair of Kent County, Michigan.

Ms Harris, Ms Whitmer and Ms Granholm managed to strike a balance between compassion and strength as “straight-talking, strong women”, Ms Gates said.

“They have great speaking skills. They’re able to sound like they’re talking to the average person,” she said. “They’re compassionate.”Despite learning that his house was demolished, Jumaa remains insistent that he will return home.

"I won't leave the camp. If they won't let me rebuild my house, I will set up a tent in its place," he said."Isn't it enough that my family were displaced in 1948, now we must face displacement again?"

A Palestinian man jailed by Israel for an attack when he was 13 has been released after nearly a decade in prison.Ahmed Manasra, who is now 23, became